Device for placing metal reinforcing.



Q. G. SHELDON. v

DEVICE FOR PLACING METAL REINFORCING.

APPLICATION Patented May16,1 916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET THE COLUMBIA FLANOERAPH co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

Q. G. SHELDON.

DEVICE FOR moms METAL REINFORCING.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 12. I915- Patented May 16, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1 i I I V flaamy 6. 572:9?(7072,

THB COLUMBIA I'LANOGIIAPH C0,. WASHINGTON, n. C.

QUINCY G. SHELDON, OF ELIBURN, ILLINOIS.

DEVICE FOR PLACING METAL RElNFORCING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1916.

Application med February 12, 1915. Serial No. 7,750.

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I, QUINCY G. SHELDON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Elburn, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Placing Metal Reinforcing, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relation to a device for placing and holding metal reinforcing in mold bodies, such as are used for forming concrete fence posts or similar articles, so as to insure the proper location of the rein forcement to the finished product.

My device is particularly adapted for use in connection with the horizontal, open-face type of molds in which a plurality of mold bodies are nested in a framework with their open sides up.

It 1s well known that 1n maklng concrete fence posts or the like, reinforcement, usually in the form of a plurality of steel rods or bars, is embedded in the concrete while the post is being formed to give the same its necessary tensile strength. It is also desirable and the practice, when concrete of what is known as the wet mix isused, to shake or vibrate the mold bodies in various ways while the post is being formed for the purpose of compacting the concrete and to work out air and water pockets which may form therein.

The principal objects of my mvention comprehend the production of a device of the above character, by means of which the reinforcing rods can be placed in all of the mold bodies in a framework at one time,preparatory to filling the same with the concrete mixture; which will serve to rigidly hold the reinforcement in proper position while the molds are being filled as well as vition of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail view,show-,

ing the clamps closed in full lines and open in dotted lines.- Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the crank arm of one of the clamps. Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 55 of Fig. 6. Fig. 6 is a top plan view showing my device in position for use upon themold. Fig. 7 is a side elevation looking 1n the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2. 1

For the purpose of illustrating the application of my device, I show in the drawings a standard type of open-face post mold, such as 1s now on the market and which compr1ses, broadlvspeaking, a plurality of mold bodies 1, nested in a framework consisting of head blocks 2, connected together bv means ofside bars 3,1116 mold bodies being arranged with their. large and small ends alternating and with their open sides up.

Structurally my invention consistsof a pa1r of end pleces 01' supports 5 which are adapted to rest upon the mold bodies 1 transversely thereof when the device is in use as shown in Figsf5 and 6. These end supports 5 are spaced and held the desired distance apart by means of connecting rods 6 securely fastened at each end to the supports 5 by nuts 7. With this arrangement 1t Wlll be seen that by simply removing the nuts 7 from the ends of the rods 6, the devlce can be easily knocked down for convenlence in packing and shipping.

Carrled byeach of the supports 5 is a series of clamps each comprising a stationary arm 8 and a crank arm 9, which latter is free to rotatein the supports 5 to effect the opening and closing of the clamps, as will be hereinafter described.v v

' The stationary arms 8 are held rigid with respect to the supports 5 in any desired manner, as for instance, by having their upper ends offset as at 10 andinserted into a suitable aperture formed in the supports 5. The crank arms 9, loosely mounted in the end supports 5, extend above the upper edge thereof, where they are provided with cranks 11, the vertical arms 12 of which are all loosely connected to a single pitman bar 13. The clamp arms 8 and 9 are preferably formed of steel rods and have their free ends projecting beyond the lower edge of the end their edges, which lie adjacent the stationary arms 8 when the clamps are closed, provided with notches 1d for receiving the reinforcing rods 15.

The means I preferably employ for operating the clamps comprise a longitudinally extending lever 16 pivoted as at 17 to one end of each of the pitmans 13, and a link 18 pivotally connected to the lever 16 at a point suitably removed from the pivot 17, as indicated at 19. The other end of the link 18 is, in turn, pivoted at 20 to the end supports 5. When the clamps are closed, as shown in full lines in Fig. 3, the lever 16 will lie substantially parallel with the connecting rod 6 and for the purpose of looking the same in this position, it's free end 1s formed with an upstanding hook 21 adapted to fit over the rod '6, and thus prevent the lever 16 being accidentally shifted to open the clamps.

In setting the clamps in the end supports 5 they are so spaced apart that the distance between the notches 1 1 in the crank arms 9 and the side of the adjacent stationary arms 8 will be just a trifle less than the thickness or diameter of the re-inforcing rods to be used, whereby when the same are placed into the notches and the crank arms 9 are closed, the rods will impinge against the stationary arms 8 and thus be firmly held in place.

In use, the device is suspended 1n a vertical position with the clamps extending outward and with the notches 1d of the crank arms 9 presented in an upward direction, the operating levers 16 being at the top of the device. This may be done by placing one of the connecting rods 6 over pegs driven into a wall or other suitable structure. The hooks 21 are then disengaged from the connecting rod 6, thus permitting the free ends of the lever 16 to be forced downwardly. The link 18 will then act as a fulcrum for the lever 16 and the same will swing on its pivot 19, its pivoted end 17 causing the pitman bar 13 to travel in an upward direction. This movement of the pitman will turn all of the cranks 11 pivoted thereto and cause the crank arms 9 to rotate in the end supports 5, their edges in which the notches 14 are formed moving away from their adjacent stationary arms 8. The reinforcing rods 15, which have been previously cut to the desired length, are then assembled in the clamps by inserting the same sidewise between the arms 8 and 9 of said clamps so that they will rest in the notches 14. The rods resting in the notches 14 of the first crank arm 9 in one of the end supports 5, will also rest in the corresponding notches of the first crank arm on the other end support and so on until all "of the notches are occupied. When the clamps are fully opened, the flattened ends of the crank arms 9 will extend at right angles with respect to the end supports 5, as shown in Fig. 3. However, for the purpose of assembling the reinforcing rods 15, the clamps are opened only about half way, or just enough to permit the rods to pass between the arms 8 and 9, so that one side of the notches 1d will be sufficiently above a horizontal plane to retain the reinforcing rods therein until the clamps are closed. The free ends of the lovers 16 are then raised, thus forcing the pitmans 13 downward and causing the crank arms 9 to rotate in the end supports 5 until the notches 14: come into alinement with the stationary arms 8, thereby firmly gripping the reinforcing rods in the clamps at each end of the device, as shown in Fig. 1. The device is then placed upon the molds, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the end supports 5 resting upon the mold bodies 1, and the clamps carrying the reinforcing rods extending down into the same. As in the present in stance, where, the mold bodies are tapered, with their large and small. ends alternating, and it is desired to have four reinforcing rods 15 embedded in each post, the clamps are correspondingly arranged and spaced in the end supports so that two pairs of clamps will extend down into each of the mold bodies, one pair to lit the large end of the mold body and the other pair to fit its small. end. The molds are now filled with the concrete mixture and after the same has been made compact or dense, either by vibrating the molds or otherwise, the clamps are opened to their full extent in the manner above described. This will leave the reinforcement entirely free of the clamps and the device may now be lifted olf' the molds and is ready for use again. In this way, 1

nothing but the reinforcement will be left in the finished post and any holes caused-by the removal of the clamps, which may bemain open, can be readily closed with a trowel. It will therefore be seen that by properly spacing the respective pairs of clamps, as well as the notches 14. in the crank arms '9, the exact location of the reinforcement in the post to secure the maximum benefit therefrom can be accurately accomplished.

While 1 have shown and described my device in its present embodiment, it will easily be seen that by simply altering the general arrangement of the parts, such as the clamp arms "8 and '9 and the notches 14, the device can be made to work equally as well with different kinds of reinforcement or with various types and shapes of molds. Also the particular construction of the several parts of my device could be changed in -s. number of ways without departing from the spirit of my invention and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the exact structure shown.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. A molding device for placing metal reinforcements comprising a mold, a frame adapted to be supported by said mold, consisting of end supports, a plurality of clamps depending from the end supports, for holding the reinforcing, each of said clamps comprising a stationary arm and a crank arm and means for turning said crank arms to open and close the clamps.

2. A molding device for placing metal reinforcements comprising a mold, a frame adapted to be supported by said mold, consisting. of end supports, a plurality of clamps depending from the end supports, for holding the reinforcing, each of said clamps comprising a stationary arm and a crank arm, cranks formed on the upper ends'of said crank arms, a, pitman bar connecting said cranks and means for reciprocating said pitman bar, thereby turning said crank arms to open and close said clamps.

3. A molding device for placing metal reinforcements comprising a mold, a frame adapted to be supported by said mold, consisting of end supports, a plurality of clamps depending from each of said end supportsand arranged in longitudinal alinement with respect thereto, each of said clamps comprising a stationary arm rigidly held in the end support and a crank arm rotatably mounted therein, the depending ends of said clamp arms being flattened and having one edge provided with notches for receiving the reinforcing, cranks formed on the upper ends of said crank arms, a pitman bar connecting said cranks, and means for reciprocating said pitman bar, whereby movement thereof in one direction will cause the crank arms to rotate and their notched edges to move into alinement with the adjacent stationary arms, thereby clamping the reinforcing therebetween, while movement of said pitman in the other direction will rotate the crank arms to cause their notched edges to move away from said stationary arms, and thereby release said reinforcing.

4. A molding device for placing metal reinforcements comprising a mold, a frame adapted to be supported by said mold, consisting of end supports, a plurality of clamps depending from the end supports, for holding the reinforcing, each of said clamps comprising a stationary arm and a crank arm, cranks formed on the upper ends of said crank arms, a pitman bar connecting said cranks, a lever pivoted at one end to said pitman bar, a fulcrum link having one end pivoted to said lever and its other end to the end support, whereby the swinging of said lever will reciprocate the pitman bar, thus turning said crank arms to open and close the clamps.

5. A molding device for placing metal reinforcements comprising a mold, a frame adapted to be supported by said mold, a plurality of co-acting clamps carried by said frame for holding the reinforcements and adapted to extend down into the mold when the frame is in position thereon, and means carried by said frame to operate said clamps simultaneously.

QUINCY G. SHELDON.

Witnesses:

J. M. FLYNN, Gno. REEVES.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

